Tag Archives: dinosaurs

Review: It is a sunny day on Isla Nublar, and no one is thinking about the events that occurred 22 years ago when a bunch of angry velociraptors got loose and munched on a bunch of people in Jurassic Park. This is Jurassic World, a super modern theme park where people can safely view genetically grown (and in some cases modified) dinosaurs in complete safety. There is a gigantic sea monster that leaps out of a pool to snag a shark on a line for his lunch, and the resulting wave is reminiscent of a Splash Zone at Sea World. There is even a petting zoo for the kiddies with small tame dinosaurs waddling about. There are fun rides, and plenty of stores and restaurants for visitors to the island to spend their money at.

All is running smoothly under the supervision of the park’s operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), but her boss, CEO Simon Masroni (Irrfan Khan) is looking for ways to up the ante in terms of thrills and new dinosaur attractions. After all, the public gets bored easily, and this is a business looking to make money. Enter animal trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), who seems to be able to train velociraptors to obey his commands. In the shadows is Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), a genius at mixing up batches of dinosaur DNA for new and improved critters. Watching over all of the activities is head of security Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio), making sure everyone is safe on the island. It had better be safe, because Claire’s sister has sent her two sons Zach and Gray to spend the day as Claire’s VIP guests.

It has been 14 years since Jurassic Park was in the theaters. What can a fourth offering of dinosaurs running amok offer? For one thing, the special effects are amazing. Look forward to the scenes with the gyroscoptic spheres, which are basically people riding in a glass bubble among the dinosaurs. There is plenty of action and mayhem, but some clever scenes akin to Spielberg’s Jaws where tension builds more from the anticipation of something happening rather than constant action. Plus as you ladies are no doubt aware, there is a new hunk in town and his name is Chris Pratt. Right now Pratt can do no wrong, and he carries this film on his shoulders. Action, FX, star power, this movie has the whole package. This is the box office champ of the 2015 summer blockbuster season.

Huh? What the….: I’m no mechanic, but I am thinking that vehicles that have been sitting in a garage for 22 years don’t just start up right away by putting in a new battery. Not to mention a battery that is also 22 years old….

Dialogue Nuggets: “No one is impressed with a dinosaur anymore.”

Hoskins – “Extinct animals have no rights!”

Owen – “Everything in this jungle is trying to murder the other.”

“What’s a code 19?” “Asset out of containment.”

Zach – “Dude, off-road!” Gray – “But they told us to go back!”

Owen – “It didn’t eat them. It’s killing for sport.”

Claire – “You can track them, can’t you?” Owen – “I was with the Navy, not the Navajo!”

Claire to nephews – “Tomorrow you will be home, and your mother will never let me see you again.”

BOLO Alert! Be on the look-out for obvious product placement in this movie. Among others, find the Coca Cola, Mercedes, Starbucks and Brookstone sightings.

Best Cameo: Jimmy Fallon is great in his training video for people about to get in the park’s gyroscoptic bubble vehicles.

Jurassic 5: Yes, keep an eye on that sneaky Dr. Wu at the end of the movie. There will be another dinosaur flick.